


Baths, Wine, and Hickeys

by CalmBeforeAStorm



Series: Like Stars [3]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Hickeys, M/M, Magnus and Catarina friendship, Wine, baths, nudity (in a platonic situation don't worry lol)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-10 21:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7861732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalmBeforeAStorm/pseuds/CalmBeforeAStorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'She tried not to look. She really did.<br/>But she had a quick glance.<br/>In her defense, she’d known Magnus for over three centuries now, and had never seen him completely undressed. Besides, it wasn’t like she was the only one. She caught Magnus' sneaky glance down to her chest, easily visible despite the bubbles. She allowed him one peek. After all, it wasn’t every day a man saw a pair of blue breasts'</p><p>Magnus and Catarina accidentally end up sharing a bath. Catarina notices the enormous hickey a certain Shadowhunter left on her old friend's neck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baths, Wine, and Hickeys

**Author's Note:**

> Short and stupid. These words could describe both the author of this fic and the fic itself.  
> Platonic!Catarina/Magnus, in case anyone is scared by the description lol  
> (Don't worry. I wouldn't go there)

Catarina sighed with relief as she trudged up the stairs to Magnus’ loft. Her feet were just beginning to ache. Working in Beth Israel was certainly not a job for the weak of mind _or_ weak of body. At least an administrative error in the hospital’s systems had resulted in Catarina being owed three extra hours off. She’d decided on the subway home to treat herself to a nice bath with a good book for company. Magnus wasn’t due home from his meeting until late evening. Maybe they’d cook dinner for once.

She’d been staying at his loft for the past week, unable to stand the dreadful noise from the renovations being done in her own building. She’d almost turned down Magnus’ offer of a spare bed, at first – he’d finally (and quite spectacularly, in true Magnus fashion) gotten together with the Lightwood he’d been chasing for the past month, and she didn’t want to impose on their new relationship. But, in the end, he’d insisted, so she happily embraced the relative peace of Magnus’ Brooklyn home.

Reaching the door, Catarina summoned her spare key into her hand and dragged herself over the threshold. Cautiously, she advanced through the dark loft. The memory of walking in on Magnus and Imasu Morales was still horrifyingly vivid in her mind. It was an experience she’d rather avoid repeating at all cost, however pretty Magnus’ new Nephilim lover was.

(She’d been shown pictures. When she’d asked Magnus how he’d gotten them, he admitted that Alec’s sister had messaged them to him. Seems Isabelle Lightwood wanted the two of them to get together almost as much as Magnus himself)

When calling out Magnus’ name received no response other than the sudden, meowing appearance of Chairman Meow, she relaxed. She scratched the cat’s ears, and, satisfied, he trotted away.

Letting the glamour slide off her skin, the now blue-skinned warlock made a beeline for the luxurious bathroom. Stripping off beside the quite unnecessarily huge bathtub, she pondered whether to run the bath herself or just magic the hot water in. In the end, her tiredness decided for her, and she simply snapped her fingers and the tub filled with steaming water. Grabbing a random bottle of expensive-looking bubble-bath, she squeezed a few drops in, inhaling the sweet scent that begin to waft from the water.

When she judged there to be a sufficient amount of bubbles, she stepped in, sighing at the sensation of the warm water on her weary body. She summoned her book to her hands – _Wuthering Heights,_ for the ten-thousandth time – and settled in for a good, long, peaceful soak.

Ten minutes or so and a chapter later, Catarina heard a noise. A noise, muffled through the bathroom door as it was, that sounded suspiciously like whistling. And it was getting closer.

Alarmingly fast.

She had just opened her mouth to shout a warning when the door flew open. Magnus froze in the doorway. Such was his shock, he didn’t even attempt to cover himself. Because, of course Magnus - being Magnus – didn’t have a stitch of clothing on him.

She tried not to look. She really did.

But she had a quick glance.

In her defence, she’d known Magnus for over three centuries now, and had never seen him completely undressed. Besides, it wasn’t like she was the only one. She caught Magnus having a sneaky glance down to her chest, easily visible despite the bubbles. She allowed him one peek. After all, it wasn’t every day a man saw a pair of blue breasts.

Magnus, as always, was the first one to laugh, and Catarina couldn’t help following him. They had gotten in to a number of absurd situations over the years, but this was definitely in the top five.

Magnus eventually wiped his eyes free of tears and crossed his arms, still chucking.

‘I think I saw a really bad porno once that started like this’

Catarina let out a short, sharp laugh.

‘Please don’t tell me you’re coming on to me Magnus, after all these years. I like what we have’

‘So do I, don’t you worry’

They grinned at each other, and Catarina thought, _what the hell._

She gestured to the other end of the tub, setting her book down on the floor with her other hand while she was at it.

‘You may as well. Let’s not waste water’

Magnus looked doubtful, but took a careful step closer. ‘You sure?’

She was.

Moments later, Magnus had squeezed into the tub, sinking gratefully into the bubbles. Once they had settled comfortably, knees pressed together, Magnus let his glamour drop and grinned, snapping his fingers. Catarina suddenly found herself with a glass of aged red wine. She wasn’t going to complain.

‘An apology,’ Magnus explained, ‘for barging in like that. My meeting with that new client didn’t last as long as I’d expected, so I decided I’d head home early and take a bath. I didn’t think you’d be home for another three hours, at least. I wouldn't have stripped the second I got in the door otherwise, I assure you’

‘I got home early too. Hospital gave me a few hours off’

Magnus nodded, sipping his own wine.

They relaxed in silence for a few minutes, both of them enjoying the quiet familiarity of each other's company, until the absurdity of the scene made Catarina snigger again.

Magnus’ smile was easy, comfortable. ‘What?’

‘Oh, nothing. Just thinking about what your Shadowhunter boy would say if he saw _this_ ’

Magnus’ smile turned sly, and his cat eyes gleamed over the rim of his wine glass. ‘He’s not really _my_ Shadowhunter’

Catarina raised an eyebrow, and Magnus winked.

‘Not _yet,_ anyway. Was working on it this morning at the Institute’

She laughed, and the conversation soon drifted onto other things – old lovers, faraway countries, absent friends.

Hours later, the bath water had been reheated several times. Magnus’ wine glass had also been replenished several times. Catarina had the sense to stop herself after three.

Happy and relaxed, she glanced upwards at the clock on the wall. Nine o’clock.

Turning back, she met Magnus gaze.

‘Takeaway?’

‘Those words are music to my ears, Cat’

They both made to move at once, then stopped. And stared at each other.

‘Ah. Here’s the awkward bit, then. Who gets out first?’ Magnus asked.

Indicating that she would, Catarina leaned forward slightly and put her hands on the side of the tub to lever herself out. Doing so, her eyes happened upon a mark on Magnus’ neck – a rather _obvious_ mark, which the dim light had prevented her seeing until now.

‘Magnus,’ she began, smiling slightly. _He was so shameless sometimes._

‘Yeah?’

‘You have a hickey the size of Harlem on your neck. A gift from your Nephilim I’m guessing?’

From the expression on his face – a mix of surprise, pride, and confusion – Magnus actually hadn’t noticed it was there. His face as the realisation hit was a joy to watch.

‘Oh shit! I met that client with this on my neck? No wonder she cut the meeting short!’

Catarina laughed as Magnus clapped a hand to his neck and scrambled out of the bath.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope someone enjoyed this piece of crap...
> 
> *October 2017: come find me on Tumblr at calmbeforeastorm.tumblr.com and send me a prompt ;)


End file.
